Book Review: The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

This is such a popular book. Even people who don’t love the sequel(s), give it high praise. I like an enemies-to-lovers thing. And I’m drawn to stories set in Alaska. But this felt like Mariana Zapata.

So, I liked it well enough, but I don’t see what other people do.

Now, I’m not a big fan of single first person romances. 99% of the time I don't buy or connect to the romance. I definitely had that issue here. The ending was also a bit abrupt for me. The next book may fulfill that need, but I’m not sure I care enough to seek it out. 

I liked a lot of the characters individually. Calla could be unlikable-she’s fairly vain, but I have no issues with characters who care about their appearance. I actually was happy Ms. Tucker made the choice not to write a “not like other girls” heroine. Jonah was the weaker part of the romance. Getting his POV could’ve helped with this. Instead he came across a bit childish. Simon was a scene stealer though. He was so kind and precious. I always love a positive stepfather character in my books.

While the romance wasn’t my favorite, I did enjoy some of the other relationships. Mable was a great character and I liked her and Calla’s sister-like connection. I actually would like a story for Mable when she’s older.

Then, there’s Calla’s relationship with her dad, Wren. They’re reconnecting because he has cancer. He has strong Charlie from Twilight vibes and I mean that in the best possible way. Ms. Tucker developed that relationship in a very real way. I was worried it would be rushed or forced, but it wasn’t. The way their story was resolved wasn’t what I expected, but I think it was the right choice.

I realized I’ve actually never read a KA Tucker story before. I will read another book or two by her, but probably not right away. She may be another author who just isn’t quite for me. 

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Afterglow by Aria Wyatt

Afterglow was a bit emotional and hard hitting. There’s discussion of alcoholism, assault, and parental death. I’m not bothered by any of it, but it’s important to know. It’s also an age-gap romance. That’s not my favorite trope, but I wasn’t bothered.

Solana is a college student who returns to Vermont because her panic attacks are too much. Her panic stems from the death of her parents when she was a kid. She’s now working at the Busy Bean. Declan’s a moody Irishman who wants more time with his son, but has issues with his ex-wife. He’s also a recovering alcoholic. Solana’s parents died because of a drunk driver so...drama.

They meet at the Busy Bean because Declan comes in a lot usually with his son. And the chemistry is there right away. Declan tries to avoid a relationship with Solana because he doesn’t want to piss off his ex-wife. But this is a romance so you know they give into the temptation. It starts as a physical thing, but they both want more.

There is some relationship conflict which I’m not going into because that’s maybe too spoiler. Ms. Wyatt took what I expected, but did some interesting things with it.

A lot of the story is about Declan and Solana’s personal issues and conflicts. Declan’s surround alcohol and his ex-wife. Solana is still dealing with the loss of her parents 15 years earlier. She was raised by her older brother and that wasn’t the healthiest relationship. I liked how deep their characters were.

This may have been a tad too long. Some parts felt drawn out. Other times resolutions felt fast. Maybe I just can’t be satisfied.

Oh, I almost forgot the side characters. They were very well developed and felt real. They were also complex-again realistic. They also provided some sequel bait.

Afterglow was a good addition to the Busy Bean series and a nice conclusion.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Fireproof by Delancey Stewart

I blew through this. It has a lot of my catnip so that’s probably not a surprise. I love small towns, farms, ex-military, and the general vibes. A cute pupper helps, too!

All that being said, I don’t have a lot to say. That happens a lot when I read a book so fast. I’ll still try.

Mason’s a pretty grumpy guy. They say he has “resting murder face.” He does care about his family (and dog), but he also tries to protect himself from pain by avoiding relationships. Heather is an education lobbyist-so is my brother. She’s being harassed after testifying against a senator. She’s dealing with the fallout from that and her brother takes her to MAson in Vermont to escape.

Thank you, Delancey Stewart, for writing a brother’s best friend romance without an over-the-top brother. It made me unreasonably happy.

Because of Heather’s trauma, I was worried about her getting into a relationship. But the pacing was so good. Both Mason and Heather went on personal journeys that helped me root for their romance.

The little friendship and family bits were very good, too. I definitely teared up a little bit a couple of times.

I will check out more Delancey Stewart. Especially since there was some very obvious sequel bait. I’m the fish and will always bite that bait.
Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Starlight by Christine DePetrillo

This had more of an emotional impact on me than I was expecting. I teared up a little toward the end.

It starts with a hook-up which isn’t my favorite thing, but I still ended up really liking it. The romance was good. Darren and Grace had really good chemistry. They also were interesting characters. Grace is a singer and has a passion for service dogs which I loved. Darren has a 10 year old adopted son who is dealing with trauma. He cares so much for his son. He also has some hang-ups about past relationships.

There were a lot of predictable conflicts and reveals, but they still worked. I wish the reveals happened a little earlier because the resolution was a bit rushed. Full disclosure: I almost always want more resolution and epilogue-type stuff.

This was a happy surprise and I’m glad I picked it up. Definitely recommend it.

Thanks for reading!
Holly